1. The Xillion Theory
Anybody who's been around this site for any length of time will understand what I'm talking about here. It seems like every time somebody makes a post about a particular soap, like "Hey, anybody tried Jermyn Street?" or whatever, Xillion will post the most amazing lather porn in the universe, and everybody on B&B will think, "Jermyn Street (or whatever soap was asked about) must be the best soap in the world; I need to buy some right now."
But I got to thinking.......All of Xillion's lathers look amazing. So, either he's just posting the same amazing lather picture every time and pretending it's from the soap in question (which I'm neither implying nor insinuating) or he just makes amazing lathers out of pretty much all his soaps. Think about it: the only thing all those lathers have in common is Xillion. So, the point is not that Jermyn Street or X or Y soap is completely amazing; it's the Xillion is an amazing lather maker.
I'll make an analogy. I'm sure that Rory McIlroy has his clubs built to his exact specifications and all, but does anybody doubt that he could just walk into the clubhouse at your local golf course, rent the crappiest set of K-Mart golf clubs in the world, and still kick your butt on the course? Why? Because he's Rory McIlroy. He plays great golf not because he has the world's best clubs, but because he knows how to use them.
What is my point? My point is that the goal should be changed from "I need to buy the world's best shaving soap" to "I need to become an outstanding lather maker." This is the approach I have taken. Every day when I make lather I try to make the best lather in the world. Lather that is better than yesterday's lather. Lather that would make Xillion jealous. And you know what? By concentrating on becoming better at making lather, I have an awesome lather EVERY SINGLE DAY.
2. A corollary theory
I think that soap lather can only be so good, and no more. I think soap lather approaches ideal as an asymptote. I think that, at a certain point, it becomes physicochemically impossible for a lather to be any better than it already is.
What is my point? My point is that there is no magic shaving soap that makes lather that is 10 times better than any other soap lather. If you have a reasonable shaving soap and you are a talented/experienced lather maker, almost all soap lathers are essentially identical. This also points out the absurdity of "I need to buy the world's best shaving soap." It changes the rubric to "I need to buy a quality shaving soap." Because I truly believe that, although there are subtle differences in shaving soap characteristics (mostly having to do with how difficult or tricky it is to coax the best lather from it), if you have a quality soap and you know how to make lather, you can make a lather that abuts its physicochemical limits, that essentially reaches its asymptote. And that, my friends, is shaving soap bliss.
So find a quality soap in a scent you enjoy and then practice. McIlroy didn't become an awesome golfer without going to the driving range a few times.
Anybody who's been around this site for any length of time will understand what I'm talking about here. It seems like every time somebody makes a post about a particular soap, like "Hey, anybody tried Jermyn Street?" or whatever, Xillion will post the most amazing lather porn in the universe, and everybody on B&B will think, "Jermyn Street (or whatever soap was asked about) must be the best soap in the world; I need to buy some right now."
But I got to thinking.......All of Xillion's lathers look amazing. So, either he's just posting the same amazing lather picture every time and pretending it's from the soap in question (which I'm neither implying nor insinuating) or he just makes amazing lathers out of pretty much all his soaps. Think about it: the only thing all those lathers have in common is Xillion. So, the point is not that Jermyn Street or X or Y soap is completely amazing; it's the Xillion is an amazing lather maker.
I'll make an analogy. I'm sure that Rory McIlroy has his clubs built to his exact specifications and all, but does anybody doubt that he could just walk into the clubhouse at your local golf course, rent the crappiest set of K-Mart golf clubs in the world, and still kick your butt on the course? Why? Because he's Rory McIlroy. He plays great golf not because he has the world's best clubs, but because he knows how to use them.
What is my point? My point is that the goal should be changed from "I need to buy the world's best shaving soap" to "I need to become an outstanding lather maker." This is the approach I have taken. Every day when I make lather I try to make the best lather in the world. Lather that is better than yesterday's lather. Lather that would make Xillion jealous. And you know what? By concentrating on becoming better at making lather, I have an awesome lather EVERY SINGLE DAY.
2. A corollary theory
I think that soap lather can only be so good, and no more. I think soap lather approaches ideal as an asymptote. I think that, at a certain point, it becomes physicochemically impossible for a lather to be any better than it already is.
What is my point? My point is that there is no magic shaving soap that makes lather that is 10 times better than any other soap lather. If you have a reasonable shaving soap and you are a talented/experienced lather maker, almost all soap lathers are essentially identical. This also points out the absurdity of "I need to buy the world's best shaving soap." It changes the rubric to "I need to buy a quality shaving soap." Because I truly believe that, although there are subtle differences in shaving soap characteristics (mostly having to do with how difficult or tricky it is to coax the best lather from it), if you have a quality soap and you know how to make lather, you can make a lather that abuts its physicochemical limits, that essentially reaches its asymptote. And that, my friends, is shaving soap bliss.
So find a quality soap in a scent you enjoy and then practice. McIlroy didn't become an awesome golfer without going to the driving range a few times.